Tottenham close in on appointing Celtic’s Postecoglou as new manager
A deal to take the Treble-winning Celtic boss to north London could be completed this week as Spurs zero in on their top target, Standard Sport understands.
Postecoglou has emerged as the leading contender to become the long-term successor to Antonio Conte, having suitably impressed chairman Daniel Levy and incoming chief football officer Scott Munn.
Tottenham were expected to ramp up their interest in the Australian after Saturday’s Scottish Cup final, which Celtic won 3-1 against Championship side Inverness Caledonian Thistle to secure their fifth domestic Treble in the last seven seasons.
They look set to make a formal approach for Postecoglou this week, with the 57-year-old currently on a 12-month rolling contract in Glasgow, where has has won back-to-back league titles and five major trophies across two seasons after leaving Japanese club Yokohama F. Marinos to succeed Neil Lennon at Parkhead in June 2021.
Top target: Tottenham want Celtic boss Ange Postecoglou to become their new manager
/ PALevy had held talks with former Barcelona and Spain coach Luis Enrique, a target for Serie A champions Napoli as they seek to replace the outgoing Luciano Spalletti, while Feyenoord boss Arne Slot ruled himself out of the running for the vacant Spurs job last month.
Interim coach Ryan Mason had also voiced a desire to take on the role on a full-time basis, though Spurs never planned to interview Julian Nagelsmann, with the German now heavily linked with Paris Saint-Germain after being sacked by Bayern Munich and replaced by former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel in March.
Tottenham also did not pursue a reunion with Mauricio Pochettino, who will begin work with rivals Chelsea next month after being officially appointed on a two-year contract last week that includes the option for a further 12 months.
Postecoglou, who was also briefly linked with the Chelsea post in April, remained tight-lipped on his future after Celtic’s world-record eighth domestic Treble was clinched at Hampden on Saturday thanks to goals from Kyogo Furuhashi, Liel Abada and Jota.
“I understand all the questions, but I am going to be a little bit selfish here, not just for myself but my family and people around me, we have all worked really hard to enjoy this moment,” he said.
“As disappointing as that may be for people, that is what I am going to do. We have worked too hard as players and managers.
“If I again start talking about things right now that aren’t really important to me and those people around me, so I am just enjoying this and will do for as long as I can before people drag me away to talk about other things.”